This invention relates generally to telecommunications systems, and more specifically to an interactive information transaction processing system in which remote computer users communicating by voice over asynchronous Internet-type connections may be seamlessly networked with remote telephone users communicating by voice over synchronous telephony connections in point-to-point, conferencing and broadcast environments. Users may also be networked with automated speech resources (xe2x80x9crobotsxe2x80x9d).
There has been a dramatic increase in recent years of the availability of public digital grade networks, such as the World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWWWxe2x80x9d) on the Internet, to exchange information in voice format. Applications have been generally limited so far, however, to specific preselected person-to-person conversations, however, like an xe2x80x9cInternet phone.xe2x80x9d
Numerous new and useful applications would become possible, however, if full duplex asynchronous voice conversations, such as may be exchanged over the WWW, could be seamlessly integrated with synchronous conversations, such as may be exchanged over the Switched Public Network (xe2x80x9cSPNxe2x80x9d) and other more traditional voice-carrying networks. In this way, a very wide user community would become immediately voice-networked, since multiple devices (primarily telephones and computers) would potentially be supported at the same time to facilitate, for example, point-to-point communications, or multi-party broadcasts, or multi-party conferences.
Such connectivity would readily address needs in the art such as allowing a WWW user (with full duplex asynchronous voice capability) to be selectively connected to a live agent who was also serving synchronously-connected remote users.
For example, a WWW user might be accessing a website offering catalog-type merchandise and receiving automated voice messages that describe the products and facilitate purchase thereof. Advantageously, these automated voice messages would be available in parallel with traditional visual functionality accessible through standard web browser technology. This session would be immediately enhanced if the user could selectively call up a live agent to intervene. Alternatively, the user might want to go directly to the live agent and bypass automated speech functionality. At the point when intervention by a live operation was desired, it would be useful if the user could call the agent up by means known in the art, such as clicking a mouse on a specific screen zone, or saying xe2x80x9coperator.xe2x80x9d Such agent call-up could, for example, be enabled by technology disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application xe2x80x9cSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING REAL-TIME AGENT POOL BETWEEN COMPUTER SYSTEMS,xe2x80x9d U.S. Ser. No. 08/767,525, filed concurrently herewith, the disclosure of which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
It would then be extremely useful if the live agent could also serve synchronously-connected remote users, as well as asynchronously-connected remote users calling in from the Internet. In this way, for example, live agents could be drawn from a pool also available to other users over standard telephony connections.
Further, it would be useful if the remote Internet user could also be directed to a live agent physically distant from the website or agent pool. In this way, a remote specialist (such as a loan officer in the bank website example) could be called in occasionally to answer very specific questions, while routine business was being handled by general agents.
In an alternate example, it would be useful if multiple remote users communicating through computer voice functionality over, for example, the Internet, could be conferenced with multiple remote users communicating through standard synchronous telephony links. Large scale conference calls would be facilitated, such as for xe2x80x9celectronic town hall meetingsxe2x80x9d. Alternatively, a feed from the conference could be sent to be broadcast, thereby enabling wide audience participation in a radio talk show.
At its broadest conceptual level, the present invention comprises server and Interactive Voice Response (xe2x80x9cIVRxe2x80x9d) functionality that receives and selectively interconnects incoming voice communications. These communications may be either asynchronously or synchronously disposed, and selective interconnection may be made regardless of the user device type through which the user is communicating.
The IVR side of the server/IVR functionality enables interconnection of the various communications through switching. The IVR functionality further interprets communications received over asynchronous connections (such as via the Internet) to be understandable to users connected over synchronous connections (such as via the SPN), and vice versa.
Server architecture and functionality is provided according to the types of users and connections served. For example, an HTTP server will typically be required to serve Internet users communicating through WWW browsers currently known in the art. Other types of servers may be required to serve other asynchronous connections. Alternatively, a Private Branch Exchange (xe2x80x9cPBXxe2x80x9d) or Automated Call Distributor (xe2x80x9cACDxe2x80x9d) may be used to serve multiple synchronous connections.
In a presently preferred embodiment, the IVR may be an automated voice resource known in the art, such as InterVoice""s xe2x80x9cOnevoicexe2x80x9d platform. Ports on the IVR receive individual communications, and resources in the IVR perform processing to make communications in one format (e.g. asynchronous) understandable to communications in other formats (e.g. synchronous). Robot resources in the IVR also allow programmable automated speech to be communicated to users connected thereto. Further, switching in the IVR enables point-to-point connections or multi-party conferencing as required.
It will be understood that consistent with the present invention, the IVR may be either collocated with the server, or distant therefrom. When separated, however, server/IVR connections are required suitable to serve the type of communications being provided to the IVR by the server.
It will be further understood that to take advantage of the present invention, a computer user typically requires a multimedia-grade computer, including speakers, sound card, microphone and full duplex voice-enabling software. Alternatively, the computer user may use a lower capability computer in combination with a traditional telephone.
The present invention thus provides capability for an Internet-connected user to selectively call up a live agent to intervene. The live agent may communicate with user regardless of whether the agent""s connection is an asynchronous or synchronous link.
It will be seen that the live agent may reside either locally or remotely from the website and/or IVR. The IVR may connect the user to live agent in voice communication over another asynchronous link. Alternatively, the IVR may place a synchronous telephony call to a live agent through Private Branch Exchange (xe2x80x9cPBXxe2x80x9d) or Automated Call Distribution (ACDxe2x80x9d) switching to enable a local connection, or through the Switched Public Network (xe2x80x9cSPNxe2x80x9d) to enable a remote connection. In this way, for example, the IVR may place the call, responsive to the instructions of the user, to either a general agent resident locally, or a specialist agent resident remotely.
It is therefore a technical advantage of the present invention to enable a wide user community to be in voice communication. In achieving this advantage, the present invention enables seamless connectivity of multiple types of user device over both synchronous and asynchronous connections. This connectivity is further disposed to be point-to-point, conferenced or broadcast.
It is a further technical advantage of the present invention to enable remote users connected to an IVR over a digital network, such as the Internet, to selectively call up intervention by a live agent and then engage in full duplex voice communication with that agent, regardless of whether that agent is connected to the IVR by synchronous or asynchronous links. Such a connection to a live agent through standard synchronous telephony links may thus be enabled by architecture, such as PBX or ACD systems, or over the SPN. In this way, agents may be called in from a pool also available to other users communicating by traditional synchronous telephone terminals.
It is a still further technical advantage of the present invention for the IVR to enable, in addition to point-to-point connections, multi-party conferencing between asynchronously-connected and synchronously-connected parties. In this way, large conference calls may be enabled, or a feed from the conference may be broadcast to facilitate a radio talk show.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.